Nanatasis – Opéra en trois légendes

Young audience, 6 years +

Co-presented with Groupe Le Vivier

PREMIERE

Created by Abenaki storyteller and librettist Nicole O’Bomsawin and composer Alejandra Odgers, Nanatasis takes us on a journey through three traditional Abenaki legends, thanks to the wise tales of Grand-Mère Marmotte and the exciting adventures of Kl8sk8mba, a boy who has become a man and a hero. These legends tell the story of the creation of the world, starting with the first sound of a rattle, a giant and terrifying moz that Kl8sk8mba shrinks to its present-day size, and of an endless winter that finally yields to spring. In this work commissioned by Musique 3 Femmes and directed by Métis director and set designer Troy Hourie, eleven musicians and four puppeteers whisk you away to a magical, colourful world.

[. . .] sung by bass William Kraushaar, magnificent and perfectly cast, with his deep, rich timbre and irresistible roundness [. . .] Alejandra Odgers’ music is tonal, melodic and accessible. [. . .] The orchestration is sparing (a flute and percussion), but colourful. It’s easy to imagine Nanatasis going on tour and appealing to a very wide audience.

– Frédéric Cardin, PAN M360

Language: French, with a few words in Abenaki

Running time: 55 minutes

Techniques: Opera, orchestra, storytelling, puppets

The show will be followed by a talkback with the artists.

Video

Photos

Photos: Kevin Calixte

Company

Musique 3 Femmes is a Montréal-based contemporary opera company dedicated to creating new stories and new worlds on the operatic stage. Led by Kristin Hoff, the company commissions, develops, and produces operas by female and non-binary composers and librettists, with a focus on nurturing emerging female creators. Since 2018, M3F has commissioned twelve new operas and is currently developing its first large-scale operatic creation. Nanatasis is a special project for M3F, marking the company’s first puppet opera and its first journey into Indigenous storytelling for the operatic stage.

Credits

Composer: Alejandra Odgers
Librettist: Nicole O’Bomsawin
Stage direction and set design: Troy Hourie
Puppeteers: Karine St-Arnaud, Lysanne O’Bomsawin, Andrew Gaboury
Technical director: Guillaume Barrette
Puppet consultants: Jesse Wabegijig, Teatro e Marionetas de Mandrágora, Portugal
Movement specialist: Andrew Gaboury
Projection consultant: Ben Rosenberg
Video: Andrew Scriver and Emily Soussana
Music composition: Alejandra Odgers
Conductor: Christopher Gaudreault
Soprano: Odéi Bilodeau
Mezza-soprano: Élise Boucher-DaGonzague, Kristin Hoff
Tenor: Mishael Eusebio
Bass: William Kraushaar
Flutes: Josée Poirier
Percussion: Joâo Catalâo, Fabrice Marandola, Philip Hornsey, Kristie Ibrahim
Production manager: Kristin Hoff

Musique 3 Femmes gratefully acknowledges the generous sharing of knowledge and experience by the Indigenous people who brought this creation to life: Nicole O’Bomsawin, Élise Boucher-DeGonzague, Troy Hourie, Jesse Wabegijig, and Sylvain Rivard.

The creation of Nanatasis was made possible thanks to the support of Mécénat Musica Prix 3 Femmes, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the Azrieli Foundation, the Sixtrum Percussion Ensemble, Groupe Le Vivier, Casteliers, Salle Bourgie, CIRMMT, Opera McGill, and the Université de Montréal.

Musique 3 Femmes also wishes to thank Troy Hourie and the University of Guelph for contributing to the opera’s visual design by offering a theatre course in experiential learning.

The show is sold out? Try your luck at the door! Arrive early. If reserved tickets become available at the last minute, we’ll be happy to put them back for sale.